Little Dragon
by Avalon's mists
Summary: When you live forever what do you choose to remember? For Chase it is everything, try as he might he cannot stop defining himself by the past.
1. Chapter 1

I know nothing about simplistic fishing societies, so sue me. I also have never spent a lot of time researching the way 5 year olds talk, I just don't know very many 5 year olds.

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_Chase slammed the door behind him and turned the key in it's lock. He growled and spoke to no one in particular._

" _Interrupting my meditation for such nonsensical dribble! I don't care where that sorry excuse for a witch lost her purple robe there is no need to inform me!" He stopped in his tracks and looked up. Just my luck, he though ,out of all the rooms in all of my citadel I had to take refuge in this one. Chase looked directly into a full length mirror and watched his xiaolin self stare back at him. A bitter laugh rang through the chamber. _

"_Dashi knew what he was doing when he sent me this mirror of truth,"he turned away from the mirror and sat in the lotus position with his back to the mirror. Chase closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of all thoughts but they trickled in slowly until his mind was full and he was no longer in control of his own memories as they came swirling past his mental blocks._

A five year old Chase was sitting in the middle of a small boat watching a tall man with long black hair and blue eyes pull a net of fish into the center of the boat. Chase watched with his knees tucked to his chest as the man threw some of the fish back into the sea. The man smiled as green arms shot up to grab the fish he threw back.

"Dad, why did you throw the fishes back?" Chase looked up at his father who crouched down in the boat to get level with him.

"We don't need too many fish today, and if we catch too many the selkies and merrows will be too hungry to help us find things for our nets. You need a strong thread to start a net even if you enchant it," he rumpled Chases hair and started to row the boat back to land. Chase turned around in his seat and watched the small island come closer and closer until the boat bumped the shore. As soon as the boat was moored Chase scampered out with his father and the fish close behind.

"Mom,"he said as he ran into the hut. " We're back," He ran towards the hearth where a small woman with long brown hair and golden eyes was meticulously shredding a light blue seaweed. She looked up and smiled.

"That's great, just in time for supper," she handed him a bowl but not before swallowing a strip of the seaweed and turning light blue. She looked surprised and put it away.

" I didn't expect that to happen, and how was fishing Lee?" She said to Chase's father who had finished cleaning and gutting the fish while outside.

"Not bad, do I get to know what turned you blue?" He asked. She picked up the packet of seaweed and handed it to him. Lee laughed and gave it back. "Well at least now we know it turns you blue, just don't try and make it into tea like last time," Lee said picking up a bowl of food. They ate and by the time Chase's mom had reverted to her original coloring the meal was over.

"Time for bed Chase," she said while laying out the sleeping mats. Chase crawled onto his mat and pulled his blanket over himself. His mother sat down and motioned for Lee to come closer.

"This is the story of a man named Fai who was the son of a wealthy lord. At his birth there was a prophecy that foretold that he would have horrible luck but would grow up to the save the entire world, his family was quite proud of this but by the time he was ten he had already caused so many accidents they decided to send him to a martial arts master far away..." She looked down to discover Chase had fallen asleep.

"We'll finish the story tomorrow then," his mother kissed him on his forehead and tucked his blanket in around him.

When Chase woke up he knew something was wrong. The fire in the hearth that was always kept burning was out and the ground was shaking.

"Mom! Dad!" he cried out. Chase frantically looked around. He felt his mother tie something heavy around his neck and give him a quick hug.

"Hush Chase. The amulets will keep you safe and we will see each other again, be strong," she grabbed him and ran out of the hut, Chase looked up and saw that the sky was red and raining ash, the air was thick and smoky and the wizards of the island, including his father, were all clustered together creating a weakening shield of protection for the island. She waded up to the edge of the weakened barrier, placed him in a small boat and pushed him through.

"I can't follow you through, I need to help the other," His mom swam back to shore and took her place in the circle while the current moved him away from his home. Chase fell down on his knees and began to cry. A falling chunk of rock fell from the crimson sky and splintered his boat, he flailed around clinging to small scraps of wood and as he struggled a large dark shape moved underneath him and surfaced revealing a blue dragon of immense proportions. It turned its head to stare at the small child now on its back, looked towards the island in the distance and swam to the mainland. As the dragon swam it spoke in a voice much like the waves surrounding it.

"I am Jiaolong, dragon of the water, what is your name?" He said. Chase looked up from his hands and blinked his tears back.

" I-I'm Young, Chase Young," he whimpered. He felt the Jiaolong give a nod and from that moment on the sea journey was quiet. Chase gripped the dragon's pearly blue back as it made it's up a river and crawled out of the water. Jiaolong watched the boy fall of his back and give a clumsy bow before collapsing onto the ground and weeping into his hands. He coiled himself around Chase and nuzzled him trying to make him get up.

"Why are you crying young one?" he said nosing the bag of amulets curiously. Chase grabbed them protectively and clutched the wet bag to his chest. " Your parents were on that island weren't they?" Chase gave a little nod.

"I want my mommy and daddy," he quavered and looked Jiaolong in the eye. Jiaolong cocked his head and stared at Chase with a look of concentration. Chase wiped his eyes off with his fists and stared back. The dragon gave a bell like laugh and lowered his head level to Chase. Jiaolong began to glow a spectacular shade of blue that moved up from his tail to his head and sunk into the top of his snout. He opened his mouth and blew a fine azure mist at Chase that sunk into his skin.

" Little dragon," he rumbled, "When destiny calls you must be strong. I can see you will do great things. You will do your parents proud, and I will stay with you," He lay his head down near Chase with a snort. Chase lifted his tear stained face towards Jiaolong and buried his head in his mane.

"The Journey of a thousand miles starts with one step young Chase," Jiaolong said to the child nesting in his mane.

Chase woke up hours later curled up in Jiaolong's mane with his hands still clutching his bag of amulets. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and gave a gasp when he saw Jiaolong and realized what had happened yesterday really had happened. His fingers curled around the bag his mom had give in him and pulled out several amulets he had seen his mother make and enchant. He dug farther in the bag and found a incomplete small net one his father had been working on a few nights ago. His breath quickened and started coming out in quick gasps as he cried. The ocean rolled again as Jiaolong spoke.

" Little dragon, hope is the light you hold onto when all other lights go out," He slowly uncoiled as Chase stumbled towards the river and splashed water on his face."Good boy on your feet. Climb on my back, you have lessons to learn," Chase clambered on Jiaolong's back and grasped his mane.

"Hard lessons?" he sniffled, while making sure his pouch was still on and full. The bells rang again.

"They won't seem hard young one."

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	2. I Am Chase Young

I felt like updating and even though this isn't that long it's better then nothing. I already have a few ideas for the middle and how he gets to the Xioalin temple, I just need to write them up.  After my history and math tests though.

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A ten year old Chase stood with a spine of steel facing half a dozen soldiers.

"Listen kid, you're not from around here, you don't know these people, what are you doing?" The captain half snarled. Chase kicked the dirt and spoke in a voice hardly louder then a whisper.

"It's not right. He's a free man, he owns his land and his shop," Chase's voice faltered and the soldiers laughed. " S-so what has he got to play taxes on? There's nothing left to tax. He shouldn't have to go to prison and his infant daughter shouldn't share his sentence," He gulped wondering what he had gotten himself into. The captain laughed.

"You got spunk kid, you'll have plenty of time to discuss our tax system with your fellows in the dungeons, grab him too," with that said he motioned for Chase to be grabbed along with the man and girl. Chase lunged forward and grab the man designated to capture him by the wrist, stuck out his leg, hooked it around the other mans legs , yanked him forward and let go of his wrist.

"Beaver Felling Tree!" Chase said as he ran toward the other men and broke their grips on their prisoners.

"Stupid kid," someone said as Chase spun around looking for a way out. He stopped dead in his tracks as he felt a knife press against his neck. He gulped and froze as his hands were bound.

"Not so high and mighty now kid. I want this kid in the dungeons now!." The captain shouted.

"Sir what about the others?" A soldier asked while watching the man and his daughter creep away.

" Give them a warning then forget about it. This brat needs a lesson. Off with him!" They dragged Chase off to a low building made of grey stone. Chase sniffed the air going into the building and shuddered when he smelled what he really hoped wasn't various remains. The party of soldiers and Chase went deeper and deeper underground, past cells with human remains and the sound of scurrying rats.

" You aren't going to bend kid are you?" One of his captors asked. Chase looked up from watching his footing on the rough stones. He licked his lips.

"No sir," Chase said as he kicked him into a musty cell.

" Sorry about this kid, orders are orders," he shut the door and locked it while the clang still echoed through out the cell.

" Not kid, Chase, Chase Young," Chase looked around his cell. "Nice to meet you," he laughed and backed against the bars. The soldier cut his bonds and shook his hand.

"You won't be needing your hands tied up in here anyways. Stay away from those rats Chase," he said as he walked off with his companions. As soon as the soldiers were away he slumped down in the cleanest area he could find in the dim torchlight and looked around his cell. He compacted his limbs close to his body and quivered as he heard scurrying noise come in his cell. Several pairs of red eyes glowed across from his and he bit back a scream. The eyes started to move into the light. They were rats but not as Chase had ever seen them before, these rats were the things of nightmares. The bodies were as long as Chases arm, the muzzle and tail stained a dark red and the grey coat was covered in grime. He vomited in spite of himself and the rats scurried over and sniffed it and looked up at Chase, their tails twitching as they circled him. His eyes widened and his hands instinctively clutched his bag of amulets that still hung around his neck. He cried out when he felt one of them bite his bare foot and smashed his foot against the bars, breaking the rats grips on him and flinging the rat up the stairs. Chase grabbed the bars and tried to climb up them or slip through but the gaps were to narrow and the bars too slick with moisture. The rats advanced and started crawling on his feet, he felt teeth biting him but froze in terror.

He gripped the bars behind him but let go when he felt how cold they were. Chase gulped and reached down to grab the rats and throw them away. A rat, jumped on his hand and bite in hard. Chase screamed and hit the bars, the rats all scurried off him as the bars crumbled out of the ceiling. He threw his arms over his head and neck as the pieces rained down on him. Chase lifted his head up to find himself standing where the door used to be and the doors hinges covered in ice. He winced when he heard the scurrying start to get closer again, checked to make sure the bag around his neck was still in place and ran up the stairs fast as his legs could carry him.

Chase rushed out of the low stone building and shaded his eyes from the sun as he looked around. The two soldiers gaped at him, unable to move to recapture him and more then a little unwilling.

"Kid?" One of the soldiers said, while taking a step closer. His partner stopped him and gave a wry smile.

"You have five minutes before we realize you're gone Chase," he saluted him and with a grin and a wave Chase ran out of the town dodging houses, soldiers and people until he reached a large lake. He jumps into the lake and let the water wash away the filth of the rats and the cell.


End file.
